The demon slipped in and out of shadows, thickening them when he could, shrouding himself in shade in case the Masters were looking for him and his siblings. He was away from Cetus - for now - more on break then anything else. The bear would defend Reji fine for some time while he went out to hunt somewhere where there were rats. There were very few rats in Cetus and the ones that were there were caked in mud and gross.

However, a collection of Gembound caught his attention, standing over a number of pearls. Curiously, he crept forward, the shadows dissipating around him, and reached for one. It was red and seemed to thrum with life between his claws. He glanced around. Nobody was paying attention to him so he slipped away with his prize clutched close.

*exit with a aomehow alive-feeling reddish pearl

The wyvern glided with ease through Pisces - it was a quick trip and provided a nice place to take a bath that also ended up being a rather familiar sight. Snow was falling in fat flakes all around, and a number of sled tracks was starting to be covered up. Crimson eyes glinting excitedly, he flicked his ears forwards and alighted - hopefully with his half-sister in tow. "Oh, look, Ash - they're gifts, I'm pretty sure!" he chirruped, beak lowering to nudge at a particularly warm and orange pearl.

Finding that it was a reassuring sort of warmth, Aure gathered it up beneath one set of talons and twisted his head to peer at his companion noodle, perhaps spronking in eagerness. "We should take one each, I think - that's how it works, last I remember." Although, there was definitely no gift limit last time.

He didn't remember what he had ended up doing with those gifts.

pping ash with permission!
taking a Warm Orange One^TM

It was good to stretch her wings, and Pisces was a place she had so rarely explored. The fresh falling snow lit up Ashtoreth's eyes as she sailed after Aure, outstretching paws to snatch up pearl after pearl. There were so many! She wasn't going to take them all; she quickly set down the ones that she didn't quite vibe with.

She flopped down in the snow and snuffled her nose through the fresh flakes, covering her feathers in fluffy white, until she finally found the one she wanted. A cool blue pearl that reminded her of Pisces itself, her ears angling forward as she grabbed it in her teeth.

Like a proud dog bringing home a bone, (or perhaps a cat with a mouse), she turned and bounced war-dance style toward Aure, raising her head high to show off the brilliant contrast of her pearl to his warm, orange one. Her feathers ruffled, shuffling with a quiet noise that expressed her high-sprung energy.

Fisher had been wandering ever since he realized he had lost where he had put his daughter, in a rather tattered state of array. He went some days searching every inch of the caves for her, and other days accepting that he had lost her and-- well, living his noodly life. After all, even if he couldn't find her, she was more than old enough to take care of herself.

It still was distressing. And so when he made his way through his favored tunnel-- H, for it's branching paths and crunchy ice-- into Pisces to relive some old memories, he was startled to see so many gembounds in one place. It was like Maji was back in business! Ah... But almost none of the faces were familiar, except for the flash of feathers that were unmistakably that of his greatest rival and oldest pal, Aza'zel's children! Why, he could spot them a mile off.

Ashtoreth and another Vita child were taking some pearls from various piles, as were several other gembound. He quickly raced his way across the snowy fields, letting out a joyous bark. "There you are, Ash! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

Hearing a familiar voice, Ashtoreth's head whipped around to face the brown noodle that was charging toward her and Aure. Oh, shit. Look, it wasn't like she had intentionally been avoiding her dad (she had), but the last thing she needed was everyone in the caves to know that she was this turd's perfect little princess.

With a sharp wheeze of air crushing its way out of her lungs, she snatched her pearl up with one paw and spun around and slapped at Aure hard with the other, before taking flight in a rushed panic. The wind roared, sending a flurry of snow into the air and giving her a bit of extra lift so she could start scrambling for the nearest way away from her dumb dad.

It was time to bounce, before things got awkward. She didn't want to get lectured here and now, and even if it pissed off Fisher for her to scramble off... well, maybe he would get the hint.

;; ash exit @Aure

i'm ready to start the conquest of spaces

δεξιά . κέντρο . αριστερά

It was hard to keep up with the Vita kiddos, but Kerberos finally arrived on the scene-- just in time for Ashtoreth to go swooping past his noses. With a bewildered whine, two head looks behind his big furry butt, while the remaining head gave a curious sniff toward the gathered gembounds. "We're leaving so soon?" One head whimpered after Ashtoreth. "But look at it! Snow!" This was the best time to be in Pisces, when it was cold and crisp.

He trotted forward, realizing quite quickly that he might spook some of the smaller gembounds. "Oh... Can I join?" He asked hopefully, his snake-like tail giving a slow wag behind him. What were all these shiny little gems, anyway? There was one that seemed to whisper to him, and he lowered his central head to give a curious sniff at it.

The purple pearl reminded him, strangely, of magick. But how could a stone so little have magicka? Without a gembound attached to it, anyway. He raised one large paw carefully and touched the flat of his stone to it with curious blink.

Were they babies-to-be? He had made offspring before... Maybe this was like...

Ohhh, those were bad memories. The massive cerberus's ears laid back, and he glanced anxiously around the sea of faces, expecting someone from the crowd to yell out at him and try to chase him away.

ATTIKIAS
violence for violence
is the rule of the beasts

The man kept his eyes on Azizos as he continued. This was odd for the caves- someone just... Leaving out gifts? Owning Lessers? Hm. It seemed they were free to take, after all, and he moved forward to take one of his own. It was a reddish sort of color- perhaps a bit drab, if he was being honest, but a sense of compatriotism came over him just touching it.

It was small. Enough to hold in one hand. Drawing it back, he held it close as he moved it this way and that, rolling it around to see the odd angles. Cat-like curiousity drove him to visually inspect it in all ways he could. Maybe... Lick it? Nonono bad idea Attikias-

He was already doing it. It had no taste, and he coughed off the dirt that collected on his tongue. Why'd he do that? Blech.

Other beings had begun to pile in. He stepped back- Theta was there, the one he'd hunted with a while back, as well with... Well, he'd never seen this many beings in one place before. He didn't think this many Gembound even existed. He stared in wonder, backing off and away to watch everyone take their own gift, confusion playing across his face at some of the odder creatures.

"I think this is- enough socialization for me," Attikias chuckled under his breath and low to Azizos. "But, here-" He peeled off the ribbon from his pearl and placed it gently between the kirin's antlers, a smile worming its way to the surface.

"I'm gonna be back home- do you want to come?" His hand extended down to Azizos, to eye level, offering to cradle the side of his head for a moment before backing up with the pearl in the other.

@Azizos (taking an almost alive reddish pearl)

Azizos watched curiously as Attikias looked through the pearls, wondering which struck his particular fancy. Strangely, the lion-stag thought it might the glimmering bauble, shining and beautiful - he might just be predisposed to shiny objects, though, thanks to the decorations in his father's grove.

Dark fingers landed on the reddish - almost pink, wasn't it? - pearl, and it was promptly inspected and tasted. A little less feral, but still curious about the taste of his own, Azizos restrained the urge to lick it. Judging from his companion's reaction, they didn't taste as sublime as they looked. Definitely not food, then. What purpose do they serve, then? His mind drifted to the pillars in Tunnel M (I should show those to Attikias) and their nature as catalysts to magic. They seemed to almost harbor it, just the same as these pearls.

Perhaps their purpose would be revealed in time.

A rumbling mrrrrrew! of amusement rumbled from Azizos's chest as a ribbon was placed oh-so-delicately atop his head. It was tied in the shape of a delightful bow, shining red against silvery tines. "Ah, thank you!" he chimed politely, hooves scuffing across the floor for a moment. Careful to not knock his new accessory off, he leaned down, "I'll come along, allow me to just - grab this," Azizos bleated before mouthing the pearl to the best of his ability. Blunt-sharp teeth made it a little difficult to put the orb inside, but it was solidly there.

Maybe too much. That bridge would be burned when he got there.

He accepted the brief head-cradling, pale eyes briefly distant and distracted as he focused on one of the larger pearls and the bow adorning it. With a flick of magicka the ribbon came loose and drifted towards the departing duo. Ensuring its elaborate looping didn't come undone, Azizos placed the bow over one of Attikias's slender wrists and tied it haphazardly; a little corsage, just for him. He followed smoothly, with an almost cantering step.

;exit azizos
@Attikias

Nemo

The sudden surge of new Gembound and the thundering, blustering entrance and exit of more than a few sends him scuttling and flapping back in alarm, actually leaving the ground in his few seconds of shock, the wayward winds from the two other Gembound pushing him ever higher, before he lets himself drop with a clack onto the stone, talons digging in and wings half extended in residual fear as he pants.

Nemo has to actually take a few seconds to relax, letting some time pass as he watches other Gembound speak and leave, and feels the prickling gaze of... it looks like a black cat. If he knew what that was, exactly. But then he actually took note of another Gembound who has flown in, a double take as his gaze slips from the red in this other beings fur.. feathers... crest, and to powerful talons and beak that definitely catch his eye.

Finally shaking himself off, he ventures forward and picks up a bright blue pearl, the color standing out to him the most, reminding him of his first impression of the cave they were currently in. Petrichor... thats a new word. But that seems to be the word for the.. smell? Taste? Of this pearl. Interesting. He takes a deep breath, drawing the feeling in deeper to his chest, eyes closing to focus on the refreshing chill of the pearl in his beak and magika in his bones.

"Okay, I'm very done with being cold..." He mutters, and sets down the now significantly less appealing pearl with as much of a scowl his beaked face can muster, red eyes helpfully adding to the effect as his feathers raise along his neck. He moves the pearl around with one taloned foot, rolling it around and deciding to keep it anyway. With that, and one last glance at everyone nearby, he leaves with the pearl in his beak once more, striding as well as his very worn feet could take him


Thoughts...

"Speech."

;exit Nemo

ATTIKIAS
violence for violence
is the rule of the beasts

A soft laugh huffed out of Attikias's nose. Azizos looked near child-like with the ribbon bobbing to and fro, threatening to fall off, and Attikias made to grab at it more than a few times to keep it staying on. Ah- it'd be okay.

He backed off as the hybrid grabbed the pearl, and- "I can-" Nope, he was gonna carry it. That didn't look comfortable, but he enjoyed the short feel of Azizos's fur under his calloused fingertips before a gift of his own was bestowed upon him.

"Hey!" His shout was one of elated confusion, curious as to what Azizos was doing before the ribbon was placed around his wrist. "Ah- thank you." He twisted his hand this way and that as he did with the pearl, looking on as the red popped against his dark blue.

With another pat on Azizos's neck, Attikias turned to lead the way back home, his tail flicking back now and again contently and eyes on the corsage he'd been gifted. The pearl may be something special, but the ribbon? That now had a little story behind it. He'd put it up near his cot when he got to his hut- or he could tie it to the post? So many possibilities.

@Azizos
;exit Attikias